César was a great name in French sculpture, part of the New Realist movement that emerged in the 1960s. His full name is César Baldaccini, he was born on 1 January 1921 in Marseille and died on 6 December 1998 in Paris. He left behind famous sculptures such as Le Centaure, Le Pouce géant, Wingor and others.
An artist of genius
Caesar is a famous artist who is known for his sculptures and Compressions. Everyone knows the trophies of the Oscars, but we don't always know that we owe these compressions of metal objects to the sculptor César. Indeed, the César ceremony is the occasion to award trophies to the most deserving professionals of the French cinema during the Cannes Festival. César Baldaccini created his first statuette in 1976 and each year the tradition continues, celebrating the name of an iconic sculptor. Among the artist's best-known works is The Thumb, which is in fact a whole series of works that César began in 1965. César's artistic work is multi-faceted, and all his creations reveal a personality that respects work well done and is very attached to the mastery of his art.
An inventive artist and explorer of techniques
The Thumb, the Skater, the Centaur, the Bat, the Hen with Pipe Wrench, Expansion of the Self-Portrait, the Burst Heart, Compressed Teapot, Belpino, African Insect... César is known worldwide for his work with metal, which comes from recycling. Initially, it was due to a lack of means that he became interested in this material. And what a success! Assemblies and welds give rise to works with a raw appearance, which made the artist famous, very famous. César also worked with lead, wire and plaster. Until 1966, he created more than 300 constructions and in 1983 he started to create his famous César Centaure, a 4.70 metre high sculpture, a tribute to his friend Pablo Picasso, which he completed in 1985.
César, a world-famous artist
L'Homme de Figanières (1964), Le Flying Frenchman, the famous "Compressions", "Les fers soudés", "Les Empreintes humaines et les Expansions" made César famous throughout the world. Caesar is the spiritual son of Giacometti and Rodin, he was also inspired by the work of Brancusi, Julio Gonzales and Pablo Gargallo. "Self-portrait with glasses", "Gari", César a major artist of the XXᵉ century who defined himself as self-taught.
